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Ground Level®: Amplifying Community Voices

Your story is powerful. The stories you share with others honor the complexity of our communities while forging a more equitable and vibrant future.

Call 651-228-4800 and leave us a voice memo. If you're more comfortable texting, you can text “Hello” to 1-833-870-4111. You can also email us at tell@mpr.org and join in on conversations in our Ground Level Facebook group.

We’d like to hear your thoughts and questions. Your ideas about solutions. How are your communities? What are you seeing today? And what do you want to see tomorrow?

Note that while we will exercise editorial judgment for language, length and avoiding personal attacks, we will not sacrifice your meaning. We will ensure your main message comes through on air and online.

Can a city fight crime by spending on help for troubled youth?

Can a city fight crime by spending on help for troubled youth?

Should Rochester divert money for public safety toward helping young people at risk of being offenders?

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Lake County broadband troubles

Lake County goes back to the starting gate on broadband after dropping the consultant that had been expected to manage a big federally backed project to lay fiber to every home in the northeastern Minnesota county.
by Dave Peters

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Instead of student loans, how about student investments?

Instead of student loans, how about student investments?

Felipe Vergara wants to help poor college students, not by lending money, but by investing and getting a part of the student’s later income. He spoke at a forum in Minneapolis Tuesday.
by Dave Peters

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Will new broadband money penalize the early birds?

A Federal Communications Commission plan to help get broadband to rural areas doesn’t make every rural broadband provider happy.
by Dave Peters

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Broadband money starts flowing to create ‘culture of use’

Federal stimulus money has begun flowing to Minnesota communities to create a “culture of use,” increasing demand for greater access and greater bandwidth in rural areas.
by Dave Peters

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You’ve done good; now how to scale up?

Ashoka, a worldwide non-profit interested in fostering leaders who can change the world around them, is hosting a forum Feb. 8 at the Walker Art Center to talk about how social entrepreneurs can scale up.
by Dave Peters

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Reduce crime by mentoring a kid, public defender pleads

About 230 Rochester residents turned out Tuesday evening for an MPR News-Rochester Post-Bulletin forum on public safety. A highlight was a plea to mentor kids from dysfunctional families.
by Dave Peters

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Gangs? Misperceptions? Spending? Get a head start on tonight’s Rochester crime forum

Gangs? Misperceptions? Spending? Get a head start on tonight’s Rochester crime forum

In discussions leading up to a forum on public safety in Rochester, some questioned how the city uses its prosecutorial resources, and whether it’s smartly spending public safety dollars.

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